Red Life
Red Life is an American animated series created by Elliot Strange. The show is a spiritual continuation of Grojband, this time centered on the antagonist Trina Riffin. The show is aimed at teenagers, but has also gained a following with young adults thanks to its humor. Production Wanting to get back into the television industry, Elliot Strange decided to produce a remake of the Canadian series Grojband. He hated the original version and felt that there was a lot of potential that went untouched. After contacting the creators Mark Thornton and Todd Kauffman, he acquired the rights to the show and was thus able to make a version of his own (Thornton and Kauffman serve as creative consultants.) Strange's intention to have Trina as the lead character was fueled by him seeing the comedic potential in the character. Strange originally pitched the show to the Disney Channel, but they rejected the pilot and moved it to Disney XD. The animation was produced by Disney, with in-house work provided by Six Point Harness in order to keep with the feel of the original show. Strange was going to use flash to produce the series but declined before production began due to him wanting the show to stand out from other programs that use the software. New episodes aired at 5PM on Saturdays, but this was changed to 7PM on Wednesdays due to the network fearing that younger viewers might see the show. The show was ultimately moved to 8PM on Wednesdays with reruns airing on Thursday at 9PM. The show entered an indefinite hiatus by the fifth season, with Strange claiming the show wasn't cancelled, but he ran out of good ideas. The show eventually came back after Strange renewed his deal with Disney. Plot The premise is near-identical to the original Grojband, only difference is that the roles of Corey and Trina have been switched. It could be considered a spiritual successor to Grojband, as Trina is still getting routinely humiliated by her brother and his band. The show follows her daily life, where she gets into bizarre situations alongside her friends, the nerdy Mina, the spontaneous Alison, the shy Colleen, the reserved Jean and the cynical Emory. Events range from encountering weird people, monsters and abnormal situations to normal encounters. The show takes place in Peaceville, a town located in the fictional state of Banstrom (which according to Elliot Strange is a mix between El Paso, Illinois (for the suburban areas) and Melbourne, Australia, his place of birth (for the city portions)) The show is rooted in dark but age-appropriate humor with coming of age elements. It has an emphasis on character development but it also includes a lot of shock humor and social commentary. Most episodes feature monologue openings from characters that play the biggest roles in each episode (particularly character driven episodes). Strange slips in vaguely morbid references in a majority of the episodes, features disturbing imagery on rare occasions among other factors. The show also features occasional throwbacks to the early 2000s, through its references and even the overall outlook. The show followed a non-linear plot line in the first season, but since the finale, the show was re-tooled slightly, which helped to distance it from Grojband. Characters Main * Trina Riffin (Christina Pucelli): An uppity, insecure, generally negative 16 year old girl who suffers from severe anger issues. These attributes have been brought upon by many years of humiliation caused by her younger brother. Knowing that she'll never get anywhere in life with her attitude, she attempts to become a better person, but more often than not reverts to her old self. Trina seems to lack mental stability, which becomes more obvious as the show progresses and even culminates in her getting committed to a mental institution. In spite of her generally cruel demeanor, she does care about her brother to some degree, shows affectionate care toward her stuffed moose Mr. Mooseface and in the past was a genuinely nice girl, but having to buckle down under otherwise avoidable stress which isn't helped by her brother inhibits her nicer side from coming out. * Mina Beff (Abbey McBride): Trina's on and off best friend. Mina is timid, shy, brainy and socially awkward, and the only reason she ever tried to get on Trina's good side was because she believed she was popular. The two have clashed after Mina finally snapped at Trina due to years of abuse, but the two have since made up. In spite of their mixed feelings, with Mina even sharing her disfavor for the stuff Trina does most of the time, they still hang out and confide with one another whenever necessary. In fact, it's shown that both girls need each other since only they could put up with one another. It has been shown that Mina has a violent temper of her own, outmatching Trina's, but her mother has helped her keep it under control. * Alison Meeks (Aubrey Plaza): Another one of Trina's friends. Alison used to hang with the popular girls, but was blacklisted along with Colleen after both abandoned their leader Seline. She has a peculiar sense of humor, which involves referencing obscure media. Alison's also somewhat of a tomboy, but she felt restricted in expressing that due to the social hierarchy she was once part of. She has ultra-sensitive eyes and is almost always seen wearing shades. It's revealed in A Lesson On Backbone that she was born in Alberta and moved to the US four months before she began high school. In The Righteous Connection, it's revealed that she's a wrestling fan. * Colleen Dixon (Melissa Fahn): Colleen is a shy, quiet girl who is within Trina's circle of friends. She is best identified by her pink coat and winter cap (which she wears even when it isn't winter, but removes when it is, and also during gym and at slumber parties) as well as her glassy blue eyes (which are giant contact lenses) and her milky white skin (which is the result of an ultra rare skin condition). Colleen is Alison's best friend and the two are seen together the most in the show. Colleen is very shy and lacks confidence, so Alison is usually the one who tries to help her come out of her shell. Colleen collects old computer games and spends her alone time playing them in her attic. * Jean Pitchford (Linda Cardellini): Mina's old best friend, back when she still went by Bernadette. She's similar to Mina, in terms of social stature, but she's more confident. Jean has a relatively sarcastic personality which is carried out by brief quips in interactions with the others. A running gag throughout the series is that Jean would accuse something or someone of being nerdy, when she fits the bill just as well. In The Singular Adventure of Green Jean, it's revealed that Jean is an old superhero called Green Jean, who's a parody of The Incredible Hulk. Jean is the only character in the show to go through a major outfit change. She formally wore a long-sleeved purple shirt and green sweatpants, but later switched it to a light grey tank top and brown khakis. * Emory Conti (Jackie Buscarino): A goth/emo girl who had her first major role in Parental Advisory and a brief story-arc. Emory has a very deadpan and cynical personality, but deep down she seeks acceptance. She wears a dark purple hoodie and she has bangs that cover her right eye (which was revealed to be a cat-eye.). Emory was revealed to be a cat creature from a breed that intended to destroy the Earth (starting with Banstrom), and Emory was sent to destroy Trina since she was the most powerful force in the state, but she betrayed her people upon learning of the true reason why they wanted to take over the Earth (an anti-humanity motive and little more beyond that) and her cat-traits were removed by her leader following her expulsion from her people. Corey and His Friends * Corey (Robbie Rist): Trina's younger brother, and the frontman of Grojband. He frequently steals his sister's diary and exploits her emotions in order to write hit songs. Naturally, the two siblings hate each other, though Trina is the only one who stresses this. In spite of their troubled relationship, Corey has shown that he does care for his sister, but is unwilling to change his ways. As the series progressed, the two seem to have reached a moral understanding, though they still occasionally bicker. * Laney (Jessica DiDicco): One of Corey's friends and out of all of them, she seems to hate Trina the most, though not as much as others outside of Grojband (Corey's her sister, Kin is merely annoyed by her and Kon has a crush on her). Despite being openly critical of Trina, she admits that her being around is a good thing. With Trina constantly antagonizing Corey and his band, it helps make the band's bond stronger and gives them plenty of excitement. She occasionally spends time with Trina whenever Corey and his friends do something she doesn't want any part of. Newcomers to the band tend to believe that Laney is a boy. * Kon (Troy Metcalf): Another one of Corey's friends. An overweight and somewhat idiotic boy who often acts on impulse. He has attempted to court Trina, but after an unknown encounter where she humiliated him, he went on a vandalism spree which led to a 2 year house arrest. He gained a considerable amount of weight and spent his sentence making internet videos. Since then, his sentence was revoked, he has lost weight (mostly) and he now hangs out regularly with Corey and the others. * Kin (Eric Bauza): Kon's brother and a typical nerd. He's a lot more spontaneous than his other friends and he tends to annoy anyone outside of his personal circle. For a time, he relayed info Kon wanted to give to Corey and Laney when he was still under house arrest. Kin frequently clashes with Mortimer over random things, which put him at odds with Trina and her circle of friends. As far as his interactions with Trina go, she seems to be more of an annoyance to him than anything else. * Kate Persky (Jessica DiCicco): One of Grojband's groupies next to Allie Day. Out of the two, she seems to love the band more than anyone else, to the point that she puts herself at risk for the sake of getting close to the band. Her enthusiasm was welcomed by the band at first, but overtime she wore out her welcome, though no one in Grojband told her off because they didn't want to hurt her feelings. Trina often calls her Kate "Pesky", which is a reference to DiCicco's previous role as Maggie Pesky in The Buzz on Maggie. * Allie Day (Amber Hood): Another Grojband groupie. She loves Grojband as much as Kate does, but she's a lot more collected than her. Often times, she tries to serve as a voice of reason for Kate when the latter's about to do something potentially harmful to get close to Corey. She's fairly self-aware, mostly due to an incident prior to her discovering Grojband where she unintentionally injured a rapper she was a fan of when she tried to get his autograph. Recurring Characters * Carrie Frye (Crystal Scales): Sits two rows behind Trina. An African American student, she is considered to be a gross girl thanks to her picking her nose, though she seems to be very aware of this factor and is quick to share her fellow classmates' sentiments. Carrie suffers from emotional trauma brought upon by Nancy Burick and tends to keep to herself most of the time. She had her first major role in *beep* where she was part of Nancy Burick's news show, only to betray her later on. She was also invited to help Trina and co. battle Emory in Change is Overrated. Next to Emory, she is a fairly prominent background character, though Strange claims she won't become part of Trina's circle due to so many characters filling the lead. * Mortimer Hodge (Brian Posehn): A typical nerd who's in the same class as Trina. He has a passion for singing and when he actually does so, he sounds robotic. People tend to ignore or undermine him due to them classifying him as a nerd, which he futilely challenges, but he is still fairly confident nonetheless. He briefly dated Trina, but the two broke up due to the former's family attempting to keep their relationship alive. He serves as a neutral influence to Trina's friends and Corey's friends, as he manages the latter's music and assists the former depending on the situation. Mortimer previously appeared in HashFam. He seems to have a crush on Carrie. * Dwight (Bumper Robinson): The school bully. His intentions and way of operating change depending on the episode. Some episodes feature him physically assaulting weaker students while others feature him merely insulting them verbally. Within the few interactions he had with Trina, they seem to have a mixed relationship. In one episode, he punches Trina in the face, breaking her jaw and nearly killing her, but in Turnaround, he seemingly helps her make it to the dance so she could be with Nick. Dwight's motives are done not to be mean, but to help build up the self-esteem of others by encouraging them to stand up for themselves. * Nick Mallory (Will Friedle in his first two appearances, Greg Cipes for future episodes): Trina's original love interest. He debuted in You Know Where This is Going and also appeared in Turnaround in a psudo-antagonist role. Since then, he has regretted hurting Trina and is interested in getting into a relationship with her, though in Love Pentagon, she claims that boys have brought her nothing but trouble. Was once in Trina's class, but he eventually transferred for unknown reasons. He has regained interest in getting Trina's affection, and the two did become a couple until Trina pretended to break up with him to reassure her friends she'd have time for them (he and Trina date secretly) * Regan Calister (Nicole Parker): A girl who is revealed to be a lycanthrope. In episodes that take place in the school, she goes through noticeable changes (early on in the episode she has barely noticeable wolf features like a bigger nose and pointed teeth but later on she gains more wolf features). The school seems to be more than aware of her affliction and have even made her the school's mascot. She could've been the wolf that afflicted Mina in Treat-Ment. * Clohmay Moralson (Ashley Johnson): A nerdy girl who serves as a prominent butt-monkey. She is frequently bullied and put down by her peers and the teachers. She is usually glued to the toilet or given a wedgie by her oppressors. Strange describes the character as someone who was put into the wrong world at the wrong time, is unable to adapt to an otherwise cynical environment and may be a victim of conspiracy. * Nelly (Joey Adams): A former student at Chris Cornell Memorial High. She was a close friend to Ty West, Chris Cornell's first casualty, and after her death, along with the abuse she received leading up to her death, Nelly became mentally unhinged and was expelled after snapping and attacking one of the students. With the help of Trina and co., she was able to locate Ty's boyfriend, who drove her to kill herself and was able to bring justice to her late friend. She was then sent to a mental institution, but turned up at Ty's funeral under her request after turning herself in. She appeared in "Loon With the Initials of South America In Front of It" as part of a city-wide protest against Saloon News, implying that she has fully recovered. Teachers * Principal Samuel Harris Ivan Trager (Elliot Gould): '''The current school principal. He has been with the school all his life and has worked every position, making him a natural leader. Despite this, he seems to lack common sense which often puts his school in jeopardy. He is also somewhat childish, as he often plays with plastic soldiers when he's not conducting business and plays miniature golf in his spare time. It was revealed in Beyond the Third Floor that he lives in the unused higher floors. As of season 3, he seems to have become a father figure to Trina (replacing Ward) and has even been considered a main character. His appearance is a blend between Russian Journalist Vladislav Listyev and Basil Hallward from The Picture of Dorian Gray. It's hinted that Trager may be Trina and Corey's true father due to him viewing Trina in a higher light than anyone else in his school. He is almost always referred to by his last name, due to people mocking him throughout his childhood over the fact that his initials spelt out the word "SHIT". * '''Vice Principal C. Ruben Abraham Petkov (Sherman Howard): The second in command at Trina's school. A Russian-American, he's insecure, unstable and often incompetent at his job, and he tends to give ludicrous punishments to students whenever he's left in charge of the school. He provides the school announcements, most of which he makes up for his own gain. He tends to resort to extreme measures when it comes to solving issues and has practically destroyed the lives of those who accuse him of doing something ill-mannered. In fact, he seems to have a twisted hold on his oppressors, which has enabled him to escape illegal reprimand (he even killed a judge by making him angry enough to give him a stroke). He was the original principal of Wayne Static High until Trager usurped the role, and nobody challenged it because they were sick of Ruben. In spite of Ruben being put at a lower position, he still takes the role of principal for special circumstances due to Trager wanting to avoid getting questioned for taking Ruben's role forcibly. In spite of this, Trager and Ruben seem to be friends to some degree, having known each other since college. Ruben's appearance is modeled after Lord Henry Wotton from The Picture of Dorian Gray. * Lee Gaffney (née Corbis) (Florence Henderson (until her death), Shirley Jones (until season 6), Penny Marshall): Trina's history teacher, though in later episodes, she seems to have taken other teaching roles as well. She is often hard on Trina, thanks to a series of mishaps that befell her (unintentionally caused by Trina) and tends to be very strict. It's implied that she's even more cruel than Trina and Mina and hence, she isn't very popular with her class. It has been revealed that she lives a lonely life and she takes her frustration out on her students. Oddly enough, she is somewhat liked by the staff and most of her students, with each showing that they'd be devastated if she died. In "Joysuck" she got married and switched her surname, but after learning of her spouse's true intentions, broke up with him. * Dieter Ruth Pritchett (Donovan Patton (first appearance) Michael Richards): Another teacher at Wayne Static High. He's very lazy and he tends to let students get away with major infractions if it means he could goof off until the period is over. It's implied that he bribes Principal Trager into keeping his job under the condition that his annual paycheck gets halved. It has been believed by many that Mr. Pritchett is a homosexual, but he's simply childish and easily excitable. Beyond teaching, he also works as a defense attorney and is a professional poker player. Hints regarding his past has surfaced, and it's implied that he was/still is a white supremacist. * Grand Connor Bushnell (Cedric Yarborough): The science teacher at Wayne Static High and according to Principal Trager, the only teacher with an entirely educational background, so much so that culminated in him becoming an esteemed professor at Banstrom University before he retired. Grand took a job at Wayne Static High after the dissolution of the Black Panthers and a prior conviction driving him into debt and making him unhireable. He is the leader of a semi-revival of the Black Panthers called the Black Pumas (which is a more toned down version of the former iteration) though it seems to have ended as of late. He once had a strong hatred of people outside of his race, but overtime, he became more tolerant out of protest toward PC culture. * Jaceon Shadix (Teddy Lane Jr.): Serves as a proctor for school exams, and seems to have taken Nels' place as the school gym teacher. He works closely with Grand and rarely ever questions what he does. He tends to get worked up whenever the blinds on a window are open (usually during an important meeting) and he would scold whomever he thinks had the blinds open. Jaceon is vitriolic toward Trager due to an incident that caused his family to disown him and he does whatever he could to ruin his life, but still follows Trager out of fear of losing his job. * Estus (Dave Willis): The school janitor. Estus was originally from St. Petersburg and was also previously part of the mafia, but was forced to go undercover after he exposed his friends to the police to avoid a life sentence. He also runs a magazine stand on the weekends whenever he's low on money. Estus is plagued by bad luck and in a majority of the episodes he's in, he is often beaten or goes through a similar form of misfortune. He tends to antagonize Trina and company for many minuscule reasons but he never gets the payoff he wants. * Nels (Andy Dick): The mail-room operator. He's of Laotian descent and is best identified by the staff for his bad odor, which he was supposedly oblivious to, until Joysuck where he angrily proclaims that he can't control it. Enemies/Rivals * The Cringe Gang: A group of teens who produce various school programs. They're infamous for their cringeworthy means of humor and appealing to their demographic, hence their unofficial nickname. They embody a "blue-pill" mindset where they ignore reality and instead try to make everyone as happy and ignorant as possible. * Trowa (Tamera Mowry): One of the more prominent school bullies. She harassed others regularly along with her former partner Kathy, which led to both becoming the most hated and students in the school. Mina is forced to deal with her after a misunderstanding and right before she could get killed, Kathy betrays her and she is promptly expelled. * Josie Notnice (Lauren Tom): The second most hated student in Trina's school. She left to pursue a music career, which bombed spectacularly and drove her into a manic-depressive state. Kon was the only one who liked her and he attempted to improve her personality, which ultimately failed. * Kathy Banks (Kristen Schaal): A much older girl who formerly worked with Trowa before she left Trina's school. She is self-gratifying towards her body, particularly her butt. When she was still involved with Trowa, she was very loyal to her and she ignored the advice of people who were antagonized by the former, only to finally learn from her mistake after Mina made Trowa reveal her true colors. After Trowa unintentionally insulted her mother, Kathy abandoned her and left school to live with her grandfather in Fresno. However, she makes an appearance in Don't Let the Documentary Do the Talking in a major role. * Seline (Alyson Stoner): A typical popular girl who often made fun of Trina. Alison was her former best friend until she and Colleen deserted her. She played a nasty prank on Mina and Trina helped her to get revenge by humiliating her in front of the school in Mellow out. Seline hasn't appeared anywhere since season one. Her name appeared in the obituary section in the school newspaper, implying that she somehow died (the death was blamed on complications caused by cardiovascular disease.) * Nancy Burick (Andi McAfee): The owner of the in-school news network. The network came about through her insistence alone (and it led to the school's inclusion of a daily after-school news podcast before the school's own news show.) Thanks to this, the students have to stay at school longer, and they naturally hate Nancy. She plays a major role in *beep* where she rigs the school raffle and becomes the school announcer. Nancy was ultimately done in by her own ego and the betrayal of her co-anchor and was promptly expelled from school. Other Adults * Ward Riffin (Christopher Titus (season 1-2), Wallace Langham): Trina's biological father. Ward unintentionally drove Trina's mother away when she was four, and unable to cope with the guilt, became more apathetic toward Trina, which wore on her self-esteem. Trina was taken away from Ward after an anonymous tip was given to child services, and was adopted by an unknown father along with Corey. Ward has attempted to get back within Trina's good graces, but failed since he caused Trina to become what she is today. Ward's appearance is modeled after that of Stuart Charno, who has appeared in Strange's previous series (what is) Film. He was originally voiced by Christopher Titus, but prior to the season 2 finale, Strange called out Titus on Twitter over the later's constant focus on political issues (both contrast on their political views) and Titus was fired. Ward's last appearance was a brief cameo in What a Way to End the Year (this time voiced by Wallace Langham). Corey claims that Ward fled to Canada following the inauguration of Donald Trump. It's revealed by the end of season 5 that he wasn't Corey or Trina's real father. * Superintendent Sigon (Keone Young): The superintendent of Wayne Static High. He was first mentioned in later season one episodes when he talked to Principal Trager over the phone, and he later had his first major role in Quick Cuts where he oversees the school's fundraising seminar. He seems to take orders from a celestial chicken. * Alvin Walch (Jim Wise (Eric Edelstein for his first appearance)): The manager and financial advisor at A&M's. He's a more strategic thinker when it comes to conducting business who shows no empathy when it comes to work-related issues. Trina used to work for him and he was impressed with her work-ethic, so much so that he's open to work with her on any operations she's involved in. He is also a pastor at a church he runs. * Trent Jenkins (Josh Gad): An acting coach. He was the one who caused Trina's vicious temper to develop after she endured two years of him bullying and belittling her all because she was chosen over someone else he had in mind. Trina is forced to work under him so she could get enough experience to land a bit-part in an upcoming movie and the two fight again, but Trent's attitude proves to be too much for him to control and he supposedly fades into nothing. Trent is based on director Josh Trank. * Earl (Brian Cummings): A customer who makes appearances whenever A&M's is featured. His first speaking role is See Me As I Work where he scolds Trina over a mistake with his order, and again in Don't Let the Documentary Do the Talking where Kathy takes food from his plate. It's implied that he has an obsession with Dane Cook. His name is never mentioned in the episodes, but his name is listed in the credits as Earl. Places * Banstrom: A fictional state comprising of various providences and cities, including Peaceville where Trina and co. currently live. Implied to be right on the border between the US and Canada and formed as a safe-haven for those with controversial opinions. ** Peaceville: Reportedly one of the largest areas in the state, comprising of a suburban neighborhood and a thriving city district. The area was founded by Richard Peece, but was named "Peaceville" under a recommendation by the council to avoid mockery. Episodes are always set in this location. ** Arcania: A gated community comprising of a suburban neighborhood and various parks, as well as housing one of the largest fertilizer companies known in the state. An urban legend has stemmed from the area regarding their fertilizer company and how they make their fertilizer using bad individuals, before it was confirmed that they acquire the bodies after they've long passed. The remnants are then sent to the families of the causality for free for use in their front lawn so the departed could always be with them. Is also known for their free public golf course. ** Rockmond: The countryside. One of the loser areas in the state. It's best known for hosting violent metal concerts and festivals. The area has been abandoned since the start of the 90s, but people still go there to do stuff that wouldn't normally be allowed in other areas. ** Prosperine: The beachside. It's revealed that nobody owns their own property, save for the town council and instead people could only rent houses there. * Trina's House: Located on Seldar Court. It's a simple suburban home, but since Smart?, the house has become a lot bigger. It includes a garage and shed, which are both connected to the house. The house as a media room, a living room, a kitchen, a dining room and a backyard. Corey and Trina have big rooms, which help when they have company over. Trina's room specifically has a big waterbed that's close to the window, a walk-in closet and a bathroom. * Wayne Static High: The school Trina and her friends attend. The school has ten floors, but only the first three were ever used. Because of this, various urban legends plague the school, which the staff uses in order to get more students to join. It was revealed that the school was only seven floors high, but when Trager became in charge of the school, he converted the lower levels into new floors and blocked off access to the original seven (he lives on the top floor). Trina and her friends eat lunch on the roof (with stairway access being available on the third floor). Only eight staff members consistently work there (others often depart by the end of the month) The school is structurally sound and is conveniently located at the end of the neighborhood. It has a statue of Wayne Static in the front, a fountain, a flagpole, a big schoolyard with a playground (that includes a jungle gym that's rumored to cross over into other universes) and a landscaped front yard. According to Principal Trager, the school was originally called Alexander Hamilton High, but it was changed out of respect for the lead singer of Trager's favorite band. Starting with season six, the school will be renamed to Chris Cornell Memorial High. * Vapor Burger: A local burger joint. It originally appeared in the first half of season one, with a prominent appearance in Turnaround where Trina and Mina get to choose from the secret menu. Near the end of season one, it was replaced by A&M's. In Smart?, Trina implies that this restaurant was shut down by the Board of Health. * A&M's: A restaurant/gas station/convenience store that's loosely based on Sheetz. It's especially popular in the neighborhood thanks to the owners connecting with their clientele through social media.Trina briefly worked there as a cashier and later a fry cook before getting promoted to manager, but she eventually quit due to her making back the money she owed Estus.Category:Red Life